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Liking with Gefalen

Level 2

To say you like something, turn the sentence around: the thing gefält (pleases) you. Dat gefält mir. means I like that.

How It Works

In English, the person likes the thing. With gefalen it is the other way round: the thing pleases the person. De Film gefält mir. means "The film pleases me", so I like the film.

The thing is the subject. The verb agrees with the thing you like:

  • one thing: D'Musek gefält mir. (I like the music.)
  • several things: Déi Schong gefale mir net. (I don't like those shoes.)

Gefalen follows the n-rule, so it becomes gefale before most consonants.

The person is in the dative. Use a dative pronoun or a dative noun: Gefält dir de Film? (Do you like the film?) Dat Buch gefält dem Papp. (Dad likes that book.) In quick speech, mir and dir often become mer and der: Dat gefält mer. Gefalen is one of the verbs with a dative object.

The forms. The du and hien forms change their vowel, as described in vowel changes in the present: du gefäls, et gefält, but si gefalen. The perfect is huet ... gefall: D'Stad huet eis gutt gefall. (We really liked the city.) Gefalen uses hunn. Do not confuse it with falen (to fall), whose perfect uses sinn: D'Kand ass gefall. (The child fell.)

Gefalen or gär? Use gär for activities you enjoy and for people and things you love: Ech iesse gär Fësch. Ech hunn dech gär. Use gefalen for your opinion of something you see, hear or try: Wéi gefält et Iech zu Lëtzebuerg? (How do you like it in Luxembourg?)

Examples (6)

  1. Dat gefält mir.

    I like that.

    Word by Word: That pleases me.

  2. Gefält dir de Film?

    Do you like the film?

    De Film is the subject and dir is the dative.

  3. Déi Schong gefale mir net.

    I don't like those shoes.

    Schong is plural, so the verb is gefalen. Its n drops before mir.

  4. D'Stad huet eis gutt gefall.

    We really liked the city.

    The perfect is formed with hunn and the participle gefall.

  5. Däin neit Kleed gefält mir ganz gutt.

    I really like your new dress.

  6. Wéi gefält et Iech zu Lëtzebuerg?

    How do you like it in Luxembourg?

    Et is the subject here, and Iech is the polite dative.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the person the subject, as in English.

    Ech gefalen de Film.
    De Film gefält mir.

    The thing you like is the subject of gefalen. The person goes in the dative.

  • Using the accusative for the person.

    Dat gefält mech.
    Dat gefält mir.

    Gefalen takes the dative, so it is mir, dir, him, hir, not mech or dech.

  • Using the singular verb with a plural subject.

    Déi Schong gefält mir net.
    Déi Schong gefale mir net.

    The verb agrees with the thing you like. Schong is plural, so the verb is gefalen, here gefale by the n-rule.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

gefalenLevel 2Liking with Gefalen

Learn This First

Before Liking With Gefalen, learn Dative Pronouns and Vowel Changes in the Du and Hien Forms.

Words in This Pattern

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